Attending a top-tier nonselective high school raises ACT scores, with the largest gains for students whose counterfactual is a bottom-tier school¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2017 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Top-tier nonselective attendance raises ACT by .72 points overall and by 1.3 points versus a bottom-tier counterfactual. → Allensworth 2017

Evidence¶

Allensworth 2017¶

Allensworth, E. M., Moore, P. T., Sartain, L., & de la Torre, M. (2017). The Educational Benefits of Attending Higher Performing Schools: Evidence From Chicago High Schools. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373716672039

q2 · i? · associational · r3

IPW analysis of CPS cohorts (n = 52,626 for ACT). The overall top-tier effect was .72 ACT points, "equivalent to about two thirds of a year's growth"; versus bottom-tier counterfactuals the effect was 1.3 ACT points.

"We see a positive effect of .72 points on the ACT, relative to counterfactual students at mid- or bottom-tier schools, which is equivalent to about two thirds of a year's growth on ACT's EPAS tests."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Escaping a bottom-tier school raises four-year graduation rates, by 10 percentage points for top-tier schools and 3 for mid-tier schools — related
• Top-tier nonselective schools improve college enrollment, persistence, and selectivity, while selective schools show no college advantage — related
• Attending a selective exam-entry high school yields no significant academic benefits and lowers 11th-grade GPA relative to observationally similar peers elsewhere — related